I retired a millionaire at 43 — here are 6 of my favorite spending and saving hacks that helped me get there

Even if you retire early,
never stop learning.Nick
Starichenko/Shutterstock

This post comes from Budgets Are Sexy guest columnist Mr.
1500. He hit financial freedom at the age of 43 with $1,800,000, and is the founder
of a financial blog, 1500Days.com.

Life is good in retirement. I'm thrilled to have a net worth of
$1,900,000
which enables me to live my life on my own terms. Instead of
answering to Mr. Bossman, I wake up and do whatever I want.

On some days, I'll ride 40 miles into the mountains. On others,
I'll spend hours at the library. Money is a wonderful
facilitator. Sometimes, the money even enables questionable
purchases like fancy cars
and human
kites. But I digress…

If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this: Never
stop learning.

Once you become stuck in your ways, you become an intellectual
deadbeat. Don't do it.

I have enough money so that I no longer have to pay attention to
it, but I'll never stop learning. I discover things about money
every week that surprise me and make me a better saver/investor.

Today, I'll share some of my favorite money hacks with you. I'll
also be sharing questionable underwear choices. Don't worry, it
will all make sense. (Or worry, because there are pictures!)

1. Writing every transaction down

Until recently, I never kept track of my spending. A couple of
years ago, I started recording every dollar that went in and out.
To state that I was shocked by my spending is an understatement.

Having to answer to a spreadsheet is a powerful behavioral
changer. I suggest at least partially automating the tracking
which brings me to my next tip:

2. Using a spreadsheet to track your spending

I created a spreadsheet on Google Drive which adds up my
spending as I go. Here is my real spreadsheet from April where I
blew a load of money on underwear and travel:

Mr. 1500/Budgets Are Sexy

If you don't like the hassle of a manual spreadsheet, you can
also use software like Mint or
Personal
Capital to track your dollars.

3. Loving credit cards

I wade into dangerous territory here. Credit cards are like
nukes. Use them responsibly and they do wonderful things. Use
them carelessly and:

BOOM!

People ask me questions like this all of the time: How much
should I sacrifice when I'm saving for financial independence?
Should I skip vacations?

You don't have to sacrifice anything. Here is proof:

Mr. 1500/Budgets Are Sexy

I took that picture on the Eastern Coast of Kauai where I
traveled with my family of four. We woke up every morning at dawn
to watch the sunrise and frolic in the surf. We'd hike and
snorkel in the afternoon. At night, we ate dinner on our patio,
listening to the waves roll in.

In case I'm not painting the picture correctly — It was one of
the best weeks of our lives!

And the best part? All four airline tickets set us back less
than $200. We were able to do this using credit card points.

But wait! Before you even consider any of this, you must raise
your right hand and repeat after me: I will use credit cards
responsibly! I will never, ever carry a balance!

Don't let credit cards nuke your finances. Do
let them take you to Hawaii.

4. Never thinking of purchases in terms of *present* value

Nothing drives me crazier than when I hear someone say this: My
new car is only $25,000.

It isn't $25,000. Money invested in the markets typically takes
less than 10 years to double. Unless you're close to death, big
ticket purchases can set you back
hundreds of thousands over the long term. Think
long term to fully appreciate the
impact of all purchases.

5. Using Personal Capital

Life is complicated, and so are your finances. Between my 401(k),
savings, checking and investments accounts, I have my money in
about 3,384 different places. At least it feels that way.

This problem is easily remedied with a Personal
Capital account. Personal Capital aggregates all of your
accounts into one place. Here is a screen capture from my own
Personal Capital dashboard (it's OK to look, no underwear pics
this time):

Mr. 1500/Budgets Are Sexy

Best of all, Personal Capital is free.
Who doesn't like free?

6. Studying computers

This one actually came from my grandmother three decades ago. She
knew computers were going to be a "thing" and would say this to
me every time I saw her: Study computers!

My grandmother was crazy in a lot of ways, but this was some of
the best advice I ever received. There are loads of unfilled
computer jobs. And you don't have to go back to college for a
degree. There are boot-camps all over the United States where you
can spend under a year studying and come out with a good job.
Many will even refund your money if you can't get a job.

I did this myself – dropping out of pharmacy school to attend an
accelerated program. 30 weeks later, I had a great job and never
looked back.